Technoetic

I’ve been very busy for the last several months. I decided to join a French software development company and move to Aix en Provence, France (near Marseille) although I don’t speak the language. It’s been quite an adventure and great practice on exploring agility in the context of everyday life.

The team I work with here is great although they aren’t an XP or an “official” agile team. They have the right attitude although there is room for improvement (isn’t there always?). One of the team activities I really enjoy (and that I’ve heard is relatively common in France) is that everyone greets the other team members, typically with a handshake, in the morning and when leaving for the night. It’s a wonderful way for the team to have human contact with each other at least twice a day. Most of the team is collocated in a common work area so it’s easy to communicate, but the additional ritual is very nice.

Before I arrived in France I had the impression that the French don’t like Americans very much. I haven’t found this to be true, at least here in southern France. I’ve met the rare person who criticizes the USA more than we do, but most of the people I meet feel Americans are generally very friendly and positive people. I’ll admit, I like France and the people I’ve met here but I do miss the US sometimes (especially when I need to find a parking space ). In any case, it’s good to know that us Americans don’t have as bad a reputation here as we sometimes think we do.